The invention concerns medical imaging in cardiology and, in particular, coronary angiography and, as the case may be, in ventriculography.
Radiological examinations in coronary angiography and ventriculography are usually carried out by dynamic filming from different fixed image planes around the heart, which constitute reference angulations. Several sequences of images are then obtained, typically for a few seconds each, making it possible to visualize as a whole, through those different planes, the structure of the coronary arterial tree, of the aorta and of the left ventricle, each plane offering a two-dimensional point of view.
The parts of interest are revealed by opacification by means of a contrast medium in liquid form introduced in well controlled areas. In order to perform those injections on a coronary angiography and venticulography examination, three different catheters are ordinarily used. A protocol according to which dynamic image sequences are obtained, each sequence being taken form a respective fixed plane.
The protocol as a whole is lengthy and labored owing to the fact that it requires successively introducing and withdrawing three different catheters, with an injection each time of contrast medium for each image plane. Furthermore, the total quantity of contrast fluid injected has to be limited because of its toxicity. The time allotted to the injections in the coronary arteries is therefore very short and may be insufficient to follow the progress of the product well. The protocol also has the disadvantage of requiring many repeated positionings of the source-detector tandem in order to make the different acquisitions, which also shortens the examination time. especially in the case of a cradle with manual displacement. As for costs, it is necessary to arrange, among other things, to make three different catheters available for a complete examination.